Merkel sees ‘no substantial difference’ within EU on Greece
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday she saw no substantial differences in the positions of major EU powers on Greece, which is campaigning to renegotiate the terms of its bailout programme.
“I don’t think that the positions of the member states of the eurozone with regard to Greece differ, at least in terms of substance,” Merkel said.
“I have spoken by phone with my Italian colleague (Matteo Renzi) and am in contact with (French President) Francois Hollande. We spoke about it today,” she said.
“And now I think the time has come for Greece to say what exactly its expectations are,” she said at a joint press conference with Maltas Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
Merkel reiterated that Berlin was taking a wait-and-see approach until Athens outlines its fiscal plans in detail.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is set to meet his German counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble in Berlin on Thursday.
Merkel also said she was looking forward to meeting Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during a European summit on February 12.
[AFP]
